Catamenial appliance.



S. B. POTTER.

CATAMENIAL APPLIANCE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 23. 1916.

1,1 92,683. Patented July 25, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

/ 7 cjwoamoz Patented July 25, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 W m w m 5 uru .5- A p 513$ SHOT-14 e13 SARAHhB. BOT'I'ER, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF (COLUMBIA.

cameraman nrruanon nieacea'.

Specificatiomof Letters Patent.

Patented July 25, 1916.

Application filed March 28, 1916. Serial No. 86,307.

To all whom it may concern I Be it known that I, SARAH B. Power, a citizen of theUnited States, residing at the city of Washington, in the District of 'Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in .Ca'tamenial Appliances; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to catamenial ap 'pliances and more particularly to those which consist of a suitable supporting means carrying an absorbent pador bandage held thereby in position for collecting and retaining the menstrual flow.

, The principal object of the invention is to provide a device of the class described which will be simple in construction, insure perfect comfort to the wearer, and obviate all unsightly and uncomfortable protuberances, and in which the bandage is rendered readily accessible at all times for changing. 25

Another object is to so construct the supporting means which is in the form of a belt, that it will yield andpermit the user to stoop or position her body at any desired angle without any binding or girting of the belt and yet which issufliciently reinforced to prevent undue stretching, such as would improperly position the belt when the body assumed its normal posture.

Another object is to so construct a belt of this character that it will be reliably retained against accidental unfastening and which may be loosened and enlarged at the will of the user, such as may be desirable when lying down or for other reasons.

Still another object is to provide a bandage especially designed for use in connection with this supporting belt which while affording ample absorbing surface to fully protect the person and garments of the wearer will present no bulky folds at its connection with the belt,all such folds being eliminated by so forming the bandage that when folded for use the ends thereof will extend only a distance sufficient to meet the connecting tabs of the belt and which ends are equipped with cooperating attaching tongues which when engaged with the belt tabs form a smooth flat connection.

Another object is to provide an appliance as so constructed that the bandage or pad will be held against sagging or hanging away from the wearer, being at all times retained in close touch with the parts to avoid any escape of the flow from the absorber and yet which is sufficiently yieldable' to prevent chafing or binding, thereby increasing the comfort in wearing the appliance.

With the above objects inview the invent1on conslsts of certain novel features of 7 construction, combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 represents a perspective view taken from one side of a portion of the figure of a woman showing this improved appliance in operative position, said [figure being in dotted lines; Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the belt with the bandage removed; Fig. 3 isa transverse section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2, showing the construction and connection of one of thetabs' and the bandage engaging element carried thereby; Fig. 4 is a rear elevation of one of the tab carrying members ofthe belt showing the reinforcing strip and thetabreinforcing flap; Fig. 5 is a plan view of the bandage in open position with the lines of fold shown dotted; Fig. 6 is a plan view of the bandage in folded position ready for use; Fig. 7 is a similar view with parts broken out showing another form of bandage. In the embodiment illustrated, a bandagesupporting waist-encircling belt 1 is shown comprising front and rear depending sections 2 and 3 of suitable textile material which when the belt is in use are designed to be arranged respectively over the abdomen and back of the wearer below the waist line. These sections are exactly alike eX- cept that one is longerv than the other, the back being the longer of the two for a purpose to be described. These sections are substantially triangular in form and are cut I on the bias of the goods so that the side and top edges thereof will stretch or yield to conform to the movements of the body of the wearer, thereby avoiding any cutting or binding by these edges. The upper ends 4: and 5 of these bias out front and rear sections have connected thereto by transverse seams 6 and 7 oppositely extending inelastic strips 8 and 9, the strip 8 being-continu-. ous between its points of connection with the two sections while strip 9 is split transversely midway its secured ends and the split ends thereof detachablyconnected by v suitable fastening elements 10, here shown preferably provided as will" be presently. de

scribed. When the belt is in use these strips 8'and 9 are arranged at the sides of thewearer and the scams 6 and 7 which connect 7 them with the front and rear triangular sections 2 and3 and are so inclined as to cause the belt to snugly fit the body of the wearer.

A reinforcing anti-stretching tapell about three-fourths of an inch more or less in width is arranged longitudinally around the belt substantially midwaythe width thereof and stitched thereto along its. side edges.

This tape is-"designed to prevent .undue stretchingof the belt and to so reinforce it that the life thereof will be prolonged without in any way rendering-it .cumber some. This tape 11 is arranged in substantially V-shaped form-on the sections 2 and 3 and has its ends 12 extended some distance beyond the split ends of the side strip 9. These ends are arranged between the fastening elements 10 and are. designed to be tied together to provide auxiliary securing means and also permitthe belt to be enlarged or loosened when desired and yet retained in position. Tabs 13 and 14: are secured to the lower ends of thefront and rearsections 2 and 3 and as shown are made of double thickness or two-ply although obviously they may be made thicker if found desirable to do so. The upper ends of these tabs correspond'in width to the width of the lower ends of the sections 2 and 3 to which they are secured and their free lower ends are preferably rounded. The outer member-15 of each tab is overlapped by the lower end ofthe section with which it is connected and is stitched thereto preferably by; a double row of stitching 16. An elastic loop 17 is arranged between saidmember 15 and said overlapping section end and united thereto by the row of stitching 16. The inner member 18 of each tab onwhich the outer member 15 is superposed conforms in shape and size to said outer member except that it is made longerat its inner end than said outer I member, and this elongated innerv end is folded downwardly to form a reinforcing flap 19, the lower edge of which is preferably pointed. The upper folded edge 20 of the member 13 is extended above the point of connection of the outer member 15 with its section and is secured to said. section by a double row of stitching 21, the upper end of member 15 being thus housed between the lower end of the triangular section and the member 18. The downturned reinforcing flap 19 is secured by a row of stitching'22 extending along the pointed edge of said flap, said stitching extending through the flap and both members 15 and 18. This reinforcing flap structure affords a strong support for the elastic loop 17 through which both of the double rows of stitching 16 and 21 extend. Each loop 17 carries a buckle'23 having a keeper 24 and these buckles are designed to detachably engage and support the bandage 25 which is designed for use in connection with said belt and which will presently be described. The edges of this belt 1 including the tabs forming a part thereof arebound asshown at 26, a strip of fabric cut on the bias being preferably used for this purpose.

The improved absorbing bandage shown in Figs. 1, 5 and 6 and employed in connection with this belt will now be described. This bandage 25 consists of a square piece of suitable fabric of any desired size so that when folded in half and then again transversely, it will be of a size sufficient when folded diagonally as shown in Fig. 5 for its ends. 27 to meet the tabs of sections 2 and 3 when the belt and bandage are in operative position. A strip 28 of fabric preferably of tape is arranged diagonally on the bandage and stitched thereto from one corner to the center thereof as shown in Fig. 5, theends of said strip 28 extending beyond the corner buckles carried by sections 2 and 3 of the belt and which are arranged over the tabs 13 and 14. It will thus'beseen that these attaching tongues 29 and 30'which project beyond the ends of the bandage when in folded posit-ion ready for use when engaged with the buckles 23 will form a flat smooth connection between the bandage and belt and the tabs .13 and l l'will be arranged be.-'

tween these connections and the body of the wearer, thereby affording ample protection against rubbing or chafing by the buckles. It will thus be seen that this bandage when readyfor use comprises twelve. thicknesses of the material aside from the inturned co'rners 32 thereof which also materially add to the thickness of the. bandage at the point where .itis most needed, thus enabling the bandage to absorb a large quantity of flow without its penetrating the bandage. The elastic loops 17 which carry the buckles provide a suflicient yieldability to render the bandage comfortable and at the same time exert their tension to hold said bandage properly in place without allowing it to sag.

In Fig. 7 is shown a slightly different incense form of bandage composed of a square of single ply fabric 33 having a tape or strip 3d stitched from one corner diagonally across to the other with the ends thereof projecting beyond said corners to form attaching tongues 85. An absorbent filling 36 such as cotton, sponge or the like is folded in this fabric square 33 and after having fulfilled its purpose may be removed and destroyed,

Should the attaching tongues of either form of bandage become worn or torn they may be readily removed thereby prolonging the life of the bandage.

From the above description taken in connection with the drawings, it will be obvious that by so constructing and connecting this supporter and bandage, a perfectly comfortable appliance is produced which will fit fiat and smooth around the body of the user below thewaistline and which has no unsightly projections and in which the combined sections and tabs are made of a length to position them when in use over the lower part of the abdomen and at the lower part .of the back respectively, and the bandage is of such a size so that when folded and in use the ends thereof will meet the tabs of the belt and the tongues of said bandage will be engaged with the buckles 23 with the tabs lying between the buckles and the body of the wearer. The connection between the bandage and belt is thus rendered readily accessible at all times Whether the device be worn overor under the corset. lhese bandages 25 are preferably about nineteen inches square although they may be made larger or smaller it found desirable.

ll claim: 4

1. In' a device of the class described, the combination with a waist encircling belt comprising front and rear substantially triangular sections cut on the bias to prevent binding, side strips arranged between said sections and connected thereto by downwardly and outwardly inclined seams, whereby the belt is shaped to conform to the figure of the wearer and to fit fiat around the hips and abdomen below the waistline,

one of said side strips being transversely split and provided with cooperating fastening elements, a reintorcingl and anti-stretch-' ing tape extending longitudinally of said belt intermediately between its side edges and stitched to said belt, the ends of said tape extending beyond the split ends of the belt to form auxiliary connecting means, re-

intorced tabs secured to the lower ends of said triangular sections, elastic loops secured to the upper ends of said tabs, buckles carried by said loops, and a bandage having tongues for engagement with said buckles.

tached and extended beyond the corner and center respectively of said element to form projecting attaching tongues when said element is'iolded into position ready for use.

3. A. catamenial bandage comprising a substantially square napkin foldable in planes at right angles to each other to form a square tour-ply member when so folded, said folded square member being folded diagonally to position it in form ready for use, and a strip secured to said napkin from one corner thereof diagonally across to the center of the napkin when said napkin is in open position, the ends of said strip being free and extended beyond said corner and center, said strip extending from one corner diagonally across to the other when the napkin is folded into position for use, the free ends of said strip projecting beyond said corners to form tongues for attaching it to a support.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

SARAH B. POTTER.

GEO. J. GEIGEB. 

